diff --git a/src/core/main.c b/src/core/main.c
index 54511be6d8..d10e6d4833 100644
--- a/src/core/main.c
+++ b/src/core/main.c
@@ -102,8 +102,6 @@
 #include <sanitizer/lsan_interface.h>
 #endif
 
-#define DEFAULT_TASKS_MAX ((TasksMax) { 15U, 100U }) /* 15% */
-
 static enum {
         ACTION_RUN,
         ACTION_HELP,
@@ -2517,37 +2515,8 @@ static void reset_arguments(void) {
         arg_service_watchdogs = true;
 
         unit_defaults_done(&arg_defaults);
+        unit_defaults_init(&arg_defaults, arg_runtime_scope);
 
-        arg_defaults = (UnitDefaults) {
-                .std_output = EXEC_OUTPUT_JOURNAL,
-                .std_error = EXEC_OUTPUT_INHERIT,
-                .restart_usec = DEFAULT_RESTART_USEC,
-                .timeout_start_usec = manager_default_timeout(arg_runtime_scope),
-                .timeout_stop_usec = manager_default_timeout(arg_runtime_scope),
-                .timeout_abort_usec = manager_default_timeout(arg_runtime_scope),
-                .timeout_abort_set = false,
-                .device_timeout_usec = manager_default_timeout(arg_runtime_scope),
-                .start_limit_interval = DEFAULT_START_LIMIT_INTERVAL,
-                .start_limit_burst = DEFAULT_START_LIMIT_BURST,
-
-                /* On 4.15+ with unified hierarchy, CPU accounting is essentially free as it doesn't require the CPU
-                 * controller to be enabled, so the default is to enable it unless we got told otherwise. */
-                .cpu_accounting = cpu_accounting_is_cheap(),
-                .memory_accounting = MEMORY_ACCOUNTING_DEFAULT,
-                .io_accounting = false,
-                .blockio_accounting = false,
-                .tasks_accounting = true,
-                .ip_accounting = false,
-
-                .tasks_max = DEFAULT_TASKS_MAX,
-                .timer_accuracy_usec = 1 * USEC_PER_MINUTE,
-
-                .memory_pressure_watch = CGROUP_PRESSURE_WATCH_AUTO,
-                .memory_pressure_threshold_usec = MEMORY_PRESSURE_DEFAULT_THRESHOLD_USEC,
-
-                .oom_policy = OOM_STOP,
-                .oom_score_adjust_set = false,
-        };
         arg_runtime_watchdog = 0;
         arg_reboot_watchdog = 10 * USEC_PER_MINUTE;
         arg_kexec_watchdog = 0;
diff --git a/src/core/manager.c b/src/core/manager.c
index c2c689f01f..3bd27cba9c 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.c
+++ b/src/core/manager.c
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@
 /* How many units and jobs to process of the bus queue before returning to the event loop. */
 #define MANAGER_BUS_MESSAGE_BUDGET 100U
 
+#define DEFAULT_TASKS_MAX ((TasksMax) { 15U, 100U }) /* 15% */
+
 static int manager_dispatch_notify_fd(sd_event_source *source, int fd, uint32_t revents, void *userdata);
 static int manager_dispatch_cgroups_agent_fd(sd_event_source *source, int fd, uint32_t revents, void *userdata);
 static int manager_dispatch_signal_fd(sd_event_source *source, int fd, uint32_t revents, void *userdata);
@@ -872,20 +874,6 @@ int manager_new(RuntimeScope runtime_scope, ManagerTestRunFlags test_run_flags,
 
                 .status_unit_format = STATUS_UNIT_FORMAT_DEFAULT,
 
-                .defaults = {
-                        .timer_accuracy_usec = USEC_PER_MINUTE,
-                        .memory_accounting = MEMORY_ACCOUNTING_DEFAULT,
-                        .tasks_accounting = true,
-                        .tasks_max = TASKS_MAX_UNSET,
-                        .timeout_start_usec = manager_default_timeout(runtime_scope),
-                        .timeout_stop_usec = manager_default_timeout(runtime_scope),
-                        .restart_usec = DEFAULT_RESTART_USEC,
-                        .device_timeout_usec = manager_default_timeout(runtime_scope),
-                        .oom_policy = OOM_STOP,
-                        .memory_pressure_watch = CGROUP_PRESSURE_WATCH_AUTO,
-                        .memory_pressure_threshold_usec = USEC_INFINITY,
-                },
-
                 .original_log_level = -1,
                 .original_log_target = _LOG_TARGET_INVALID,
 
@@ -920,6 +908,8 @@ int manager_new(RuntimeScope runtime_scope, ManagerTestRunFlags test_run_flags,
                 },
         };
 
+        unit_defaults_init(&m->defaults, runtime_scope);
+
 #if ENABLE_EFI
         if (MANAGER_IS_SYSTEM(m) && detect_container() <= 0)
                 boot_timestamps(m->timestamps + MANAGER_TIMESTAMP_USERSPACE,
@@ -4886,6 +4876,43 @@ ManagerTimestamp manager_timestamp_initrd_mangle(ManagerTimestamp s) {
         return s;
 }
 
+void unit_defaults_init(UnitDefaults *defaults, RuntimeScope scope) {
+        assert(defaults);
+        assert(scope >= 0);
+        assert(scope < _RUNTIME_SCOPE_MAX);
+
+        *defaults = (UnitDefaults) {
+                .std_output = EXEC_OUTPUT_JOURNAL,
+                .std_error = EXEC_OUTPUT_INHERIT,
+                .restart_usec = DEFAULT_RESTART_USEC,
+                .timeout_start_usec = manager_default_timeout(scope),
+                .timeout_stop_usec = manager_default_timeout(scope),
+                .timeout_abort_usec = manager_default_timeout(scope),
+                .timeout_abort_set = false,
+                .device_timeout_usec = manager_default_timeout(scope),
+                .start_limit_interval = DEFAULT_START_LIMIT_INTERVAL,
+                .start_limit_burst = DEFAULT_START_LIMIT_BURST,
+
+                /* On 4.15+ with unified hierarchy, CPU accounting is essentially free as it doesn't require the CPU
+                 * controller to be enabled, so the default is to enable it unless we got told otherwise. */
+                .cpu_accounting = cpu_accounting_is_cheap(),
+                .memory_accounting = MEMORY_ACCOUNTING_DEFAULT,
+                .io_accounting = false,
+                .blockio_accounting = false,
+                .tasks_accounting = true,
+                .ip_accounting = false,
+
+                .tasks_max = DEFAULT_TASKS_MAX,
+                .timer_accuracy_usec = 1 * USEC_PER_MINUTE,
+
+                .memory_pressure_watch = CGROUP_PRESSURE_WATCH_AUTO,
+                .memory_pressure_threshold_usec = MEMORY_PRESSURE_DEFAULT_THRESHOLD_USEC,
+
+                .oom_policy = OOM_STOP,
+                .oom_score_adjust_set = false,
+        };
+}
+
 void unit_defaults_done(UnitDefaults *defaults) {
         assert(defaults);
 
diff --git a/src/core/manager.h b/src/core/manager.h
index b0ba5c5062..354af5a8be 100644
--- a/src/core/manager.h
+++ b/src/core/manager.h
@@ -613,4 +613,5 @@ int manager_override_watchdog_pretimeout_governor(Manager *m, const char *govern
 const char* oom_policy_to_string(OOMPolicy i) _const_;
 OOMPolicy oom_policy_from_string(const char *s) _pure_;
 
+void unit_defaults_init(UnitDefaults *defaults, RuntimeScope scope);
 void unit_defaults_done(UnitDefaults *defaults);